Top Trump aide leaves White House after abuse allegations

The comment comes after the White House signaled support for Porter.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the last name of White House counsel Don McGahn.

“It’s ultimately their determination at the White House whether they want to grant a permanent clearance”, said former Federal Bureau of Investigation assistant director Ron Hosko.

National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter and Ivanka Trump walk across the South Lawn before departing the White House on August 30, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Puzder, the former CEO of CKE Restaurants, was in line to be Trump’s labor secretary but withdrew after a 1990 interview resurfaced in which Puzder’s ex-wife accused him of domestic abuse, an allegation he’s denied. “There is no place for domestic violence in our society”. A dismissal of Kelly would surely revive the narrative of a White House in crisis as it faces the ongoing Russian Federation probe and the midterm elections. Both aides’ employment at the White House was a bit of a mystery.

Both women say they told FBI investigators during background interviews for Porter’s security clearance. Republicans need to join in that effort and insist on answers from the White House about the process as well as the particulars of Mr.

Because the review was still ongoing, Shah said there had been no determination one way or another whether Porter qualified for a permanent security clearance. “But this is further evidence of a non-existent vetting process”.

Shah defended the administration, claiming it wasn’t the photographic evidence of the alleged abuse that changed Trump officials’ tone toward Porter.

There is growing frustration among Trump’s aides and allies in and out of the White House that Kelly badly mishandled the abuse claims made against staff secretary Rob Porter, one of his top deputies. The President was impressed by Porter’s educational credentials – including degrees from Harvard and Oxford – a person familiar with the matter said. His second wife, Jennifer Willoughby, also told the Daily Mail how Porter once dragged her naked and wet from the shower to yell at her. The Intercept published its interview with Holderness on Wednesday. But the other side of that, she said, is a man who is “deeply troubled, and angry, and violent”.

Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat, said in a statement that if Kelly “covered up Staff Secretary Rob Porter’s record of domestic violence then he should resign immediately”.

“I have no vendetta against Rob Porter“, Willoughby said. He is a friend, a confidante and a trusted professional.

“I did talk to the president earlier today and he said he was saddened by the reports”, Shah said – “by the information he saw, and by the images he saw”.

“That just didn’t feel right to me”, Willoughby said, adding, “what I said were factual statements”. Trump restored the job as an “assistant to the president”.

What Does Melania Trump’s Body Language at State of the Union Address Reveal?

Porter originally meant to stay on indefinitely to help ensure a smooth transition, but White House officials encouraged him to leave sooner as the firestorm grew.

Bloomberg’s Margaret Talev and Ari Natter contributed.